Traffic offence - Org's thoughts?

Spot on puny!!

[embee]

Slight aside, but in Austria the green light flashes a couple of times before the amber comes on, then red. This is a brilliant feature as it takes virtually all the "will it won't it" gamble out of approaching traffic lights.

You know that while the green is solid it's not about to change, if you see the green flash you can very easily stop on the amber, if you don't see the green flash you know you'll be through the lights well before the red.

It works. We'd never introduce anything as sensible as that here though, just like not having "turn on red" as they do in other countries, or change lights to fixed flashing amber at night (proceed if safe) etc.

Forget this nonsense about innocent until proven guilty and reasonable doubt and so on, this is the UK, if they want to do you they will, one officer says you're guilty then you are (unless you work for BAE and sell weapons to Saudi Arabia or ATC systems to African states).

Just getting my cynic hat on ready for the election.

[Stu]

noble Ox, did you see the lights change from green to amber? how far away from the stop line were you?
Did you see the lights change from amber to red? how far in front/after the stop line were you?

Originally Posted by embee

Slight aside, but in Austria the green light flashes a couple of times before the amber comes on, then red. This is a brilliant feature as it takes virtually all the "will it won't it" gamble out of approaching traffic lights.

You know that while the green is solid it's not about to change, if you see the green flash you can very easily stop on the amber, if you don't see the green flash you know you'll be through the lights well before the red.

It works. We'd never introduce anything as sensible as that here though, just like not having "turn on red" as they do in other countries, or change lights to fixed flashing amber at night (proceed if safe) etc.

Forget this nonsense about innocent until proven guilty and reasonable doubt and so on, this is the UK, if they want to do you they will, one officer says you're guilty then you are (unless you work for BAE and sell weapons to Saudi Arabia or ATC systems to African states).

Just getting my cynic hat on ready for the election.

We are better than the Italians, they have different shades of red, 'nah forget that red', 'kinda still OK to go through red', 'near miss red', and 'suicide red'.

[Messie]

I can confirm you can get points for jumping a red light. I didn't realise I'd done it, but the camera got me. Went through at 16 miles per hour apparently, 1 second after it changed.
It certainly made me think and actually feel a bit ashamed of my driving - I thought I was better than that. 3 points, £60 fixed penalty and I think about it everytime I come up to nearly changing lights. Not worth it, is my opinion now. Just another 30 seconds on a journey

[cbay]

I would say that he didn't actually see you go through the RED or RED/AMBER therefore he didn't see an offense. Unless he has you on camera going over the white line and you can see his light is GREEN and you can see another light showing RED indicating stopping to you then I personally don't think there is a case.

The policeman is just presuming that your light was RED, how does he know that the light was faulty and you had an Amber and he had an Amber also???

Definitely seek legal advice, I think you have a case! Especially as your in your first two years. Dodgy period.

Are you within 2 years for both car and bike licence? AFAIK if you've had one or other longer then you'll be off the 6 points rule by now.

[Red Herring]

They just need to convince the court that part of your vehicle went over the stop line after the light had gone red, or amber and you could have stopped safely. Yes, one officers word is enough.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

They just need to convince the court that part of your vehicle went over the stop line after the light had gone red, or amber and you could have stopped safely. Yes, one officers word is enough.

I thought it was the front of your vehicle.
So how does an Artic get through traffic lights? the cab could be through on the Green with the trailer taking all of the amber & some red.

Originally Posted by Red Herring

They just need to convince the court that part of your vehicle went over the stop line after the light had gone red, or amber and you could have stopped safely. Yes, one officers word is enough.

Originally Posted by Stu

I thought it was the front of your vehicle.
So how does an Artic get through traffic lights? the cab could be through on the Green with the trailer taking all of the amber & some red.

The answers are there already. The cab and trailer are counted as the same vehicle, so long as it didn't go through after the light and gone red, it is considered to all have been through on the green (or of course the amber).

Need to be really black and white with the wording on these things.